One of the most valuable skills students can learn in their academic pursuits is how to think like an entrepreneur. Often time, too many students, and even faculty believe having an entrepreneurial mindset is only for those wanting to open a business. However, it is more than that. The entrepreneurial mindset is what most employers want in newly minted graduates entering the workforce. Being entrepreneurial really means having the capacity to problem solve, pivot and be agile as you contribute as part of a team to solve problems. It is also having the ability to expect and be prepared for changes that are coming while creating conditions to foster innovation.

Colleges and universities across the nation have a significant role in preparing students’ entrepreneurial mindset. The nation’s economy and job growth depend on small business, new start-ups, and existing business’ ability to thrive. Our young graduates have unlimited potential to begin their careers and engage in transforming their research prowess into viable technology-based products, solutions or services in the marketplace. It will be their work, approach, and calculated risk-taking endeavors that will help business innovate and keep generating new, good-paying jobs.

While today’s innovative stalwarts are at the technology production frontier, many firms will stagnate or disappear as change disrupts their business model. Preparing students to be adaptable will benefit them should they have to change jobs unexpectedly. Helping them to recognize and hone transferrable skills will ensure they remain relevant and employable in an ever-changing and evolving economy. Being able to think and solve problems does not start and stop in the workplace, it begins in our personal lives and translates into creating well-rounded individuals prepared to be successful at every level.

The impact of entrepreneurship on economic growth, and on job creation, in particular, is not immediate. Researchers from the Brookings Institution who focused on entrepreneurship have found that the most important growth effects of startup firms can take up to 10 years to occur. However, fostering a climate on campuses for students to learn, grow, pitch, and accelerate ideas has to be an integral part of all undergraduate education. Therefore, we create the opportunities for students to test, retool and refine their approach in a safe and supportive environment that will give them a head start. This approach also helps to facilitate a sense of belonging while creating and sustaining community growth and connectedness.

Plenty of discussions occur about how brick-and-mortar campuses serve communities, in part because many buildings on campuses go unoccupied for parts of the year. Some campus buildings are outdated with antiquated technology and often resemble old high school classrooms. Investing to design spaces where students can collaborate, connect, communicate and practice design thinking creates opportunities to interact globally and become problem-based and solution-driven graduates. Campus spaces should resemble the progressive work-spaces where students will eventually matriculate. Ideally, these same spaces could be used for not only campus but community incubators and accelerators which helps to break down the barriers between higher education, the larger community, business community and diverse aspects of industry.

Re-thinking how we design classrooms, teach and grow a generation of problem-solving and solution driven mindset students while creating conditions where students can take risks is imperative in the higher education arena. Students are looking to grow ideas and work alongside mentors from the business and investing community and this collaborative approach to learning is necessary to ensure that we are preparing the next generation of students to thrive in an ever-changing global society.

Source: Brookings Institution

BioDr. DeBrenna LaFa Agbenyiga is the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Bowie State University, where she serves as the chief academic officer overseeing the academic and research enterprise, ensuring the quality of the faculty and student body, and maintaining educational excellence. Dr. Agbenyiga was associate dean for graduate studies and inclusion in the College of Social Science at Michigan State University from 2012 – 2015. In addition to providing significant administrative oversight for graduate programs, she was the founding director of the college’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusive Academic Affairs. Additionally, she held positions as associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and in the School of Social Work. Earlier positions at Michigan State included assistant dean and assistant to the dean for multi-cultural programs in the College of Social Science where she began her career as a social work specialist.

An accomplished scholar, Dr. Agbenyiga has extensive experience working globally, particularly in Africa, as a researcher and consultant to numerous ministries, non-governmental organizations and universities. Her research spans organizational culture, international social and economic development, community development and sustainability, women’s rights, children’s rights, gender-based violence, cross-cultural learning, and diversity.

Dr. Agbenyiga earned her doctoral degree in social work, MBA in strategic management and an MSW in Social Work-Urban Studies all from Michigan State University. Her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice is from the University of South Carolina, Columbia.